People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Ducarre was pleased with Therese's reaction; if Therese also realized this, the chances of his plan being approved would greatly increase.

He explained:

“I intend to carry out a decapitation operation against the Grand Duke of Victoria.”

"The Victorians are nothing but a disorganized mob; the Military Council will crumble if we use any tricks. If we carry out a decapitation assassination of a Grand Duke and succeed, the Grand Duke of Victoria will realize that delaying will only make things worse and will only make them our sitting ducks."

The Dukes' coalition has always been divided in terms of military strength, and so far, no real leader has been chosen for the coalition. Instead, the coalition plans and makes decisions through a joint meeting of several prominent dukes.

This operation is undoubtedly extremely inefficient.

Not to mention, the dukes each had their own ulterior motives. Their real purpose was to weaken the other grand dukes in order to achieve their own goals, while attacking the Sarkaz was just a pretext.

Whether the goal is to crown themselves with the Victorian throne or to achieve independence for their people under Victorian oppression, the fundamental reason they are so united is simply because they share a common enemy, the Sarkaz, and there is a greater benefit to be gained by targeting this common enemy.

To break the deadlock, the only way is through mutual benefit.

The Blood Demon Lord's solution was simple: kill a Grand Duke!

The death of a Grand Duke would create a sense of crisis for the previously mutually restraining Duke alliance. Such a huge defeat, and the possibility of another assassination attempt, would force them to abandon the stalemate and actively seek a decisive battle with the Sarkaz.

The portion of Victoria represented by a Grand Duke was enough to make every Grand Duke of Victoria's heart flutter. No hungry wolf would give up the meat in its mouth; they would quickly begin to divide that inheritance, and considerable turmoil would occur within the Dukes' alliance as a result.

This approach certainly has its advantages and disadvantages. The death of a Grand Duke will undoubtedly weaken the Victorian Dukes' alliance, but it will also serve as a wake-up call. After the struggle for the inheritance ends, or even during the struggle, the Dukes' alliance may elect a true leader and unite. This is certainly not good news for the Sarkaz.

But compared to this drawback, the benefits are obviously much greater.

Most importantly, this plan is theoretically feasible!

Both Bloodlord and Shapeshifter Swarm are Sarkaz hero-level units with exceptional individual combat capabilities. Shapeshifter Swarm, in particular, can even mimic some of the original's surface-level spells. For example, Bloodlord's Blood Tide, Raphsini's Flame (the essence of Drakk bloodline spells is not fire, but something like life force), and so on.

Although the shapeshifter swarm cannot mimic the essence, it is still extremely deceptive. With him in front and the Blood Lord behind, catching an unsuspecting Grand Duke off guard is by no means difficult!

Even Theresis couldn't find fault with the plan.

By assassinating the Grand Duke, the intensity of the war can be increased. After Theresa is resurrected, the Demon King's Black Crown might provide a way to repair the Shard Tower. Even if not, a large-scale decisive battle would be enough for the Blood Demon Lord to collect enough blood to create a sufficiently large Originium environment around Londinium.

The goal is to summon the primordial Originium "Anana" with the blood of Tikkaz; everything else is just a means to an end.

In this light, this plan is indeed worth trying.

Just as Theresis was about to nod, the group of shapeshifters, who usually didn't comment on the details of the operation, suddenly spoke up.

He looked at the Blood Demon Lord, his brows furrowed slightly, and asked:

Whom do you intend to assassinate?

The Blood Demon Lord gave a cold laugh:

"The Duke of Windermere!"

"One of Victoria's 'Imperial Twin Blades,' a powerful military noble guarding the border between Victoria and Letania. Her forces are among the top three, if not two, in the entire Victoria Dukes' coalition. She also has a habit of personally leading troops into battle. If we can kill her, the Dukes of Victoria, and even Letania, will be eager to make a move..."

"We're not going."

The shapeshifter swarm cleanly and decisively refused, interrupting the Blood Demon Lord's analysis.

The Blood Demon Lord was slightly taken aback, looking at the group of shapeshifters. Such a direct rejection made him feel somewhat incredulous.

If this had happened to any other ordinary Sarkaz, or his descendants, it would have been enough for Ducarre to grant them the cruelest death. But the group of shapeshifters standing before him, the ancient ruler of the Shapeshifter Royal Court, the most famous "undying monster" among the Sarkaz, meant that killing one would not prevent countless others from following suit.

He could only suppress his anger and patiently ask the question:

"why?"

“Duke Windermere won’t do.” The shapeshifter swarm shook their heads, but had no desire to explain.

The Blood Demon Lord gritted his teeth:

"But Duke Windermere is the most suitable choice. Killing him would have the greatest impact, both in terms of the consequences and the weakening of the Dukes' coalition!"

"She and the Duke of Wellington were both military nobles and generals of Victoria. With her death, the Duke of Wellington will inevitably become the leader of the Duke's coalition. And we have an agreement with those foolish Tara people. Have you forgotten?"

"At the same time, she has a grudge against the Duke of Caesar. As soon as she dies, the Duke of Caesar will immediately begin to win over and retaliate against her troops, which will inevitably cause the greatest chaos within the Duke's coalition! Don't you understand?"

The shapeshifters nodded: "We understand."

The murderous aura around the Blood Demon Lord subsided slightly.

"Then what else do you have to say? That's it—"

Before the Blood Demon Lord could finish speaking, the Shapeshifter swarm spoke again:

"We understand, but we disagree."

The bloody mist that had just subsided around Ducarre burst forth again in an instant, almost filling the entire area between the thrones with a thick, pungent smell of blood.

His eyes flashed crimson, and his voice was filled with rage:

"Shapeshifter, do you think I can't kill you?"

"You really can't kill us."

The shapeshifters spoke calmly, unmoved by the threatening words.

"But that has nothing to do with our opposition to your plans."

“It’s not just us who think this way, I think it’s the same for Theresis.”

"Since you've approached Theresis to discuss this and want to leverage our support, you should be prepared to be rejected. If you're not happy about it, you can ask Theresis for her opinion."

The group of shapeshifters turned their gaze to Theresis. Blood Demon gritted his teeth, realizing he was indeed powerless against the shapeshifters, and could only turn his attention to Theresis as well.

Theresis sat on the throne with a somber expression, seemingly deep in thought. After a long pause, he shook his head slightly.

"Let's change our target."

The Blood Demon Lord clicked his tongue, but ultimately said nothing.

Seemingly in an attempt to ease the bloody atmosphere, Therese spoke again:

"Moreover, even if we were to assassinate someone, now would not be the time."

"We still have time."

Ducarre retorted immediately, seemingly in a fit of pique:

"If Niezile's army can't get in, how much time do we have?"

But Therese shook her head:

"You can come in."

“I sent Ersula.”

Ducarre scoffed dismissively:

"Ersula? That little Sarkaz from Scar Market? What use is she? If you ask me, you should have killed her when [Timeline] broke in her hands. If you can't bear to do it, you can have me do it for you."

Therese did not answer Ducarre's question. His gaze was fixed on the wall, as if it pierced through the palace walls, passed through the high walls of Londinium, and went to a distant, familiar yet strange place.

“I sent her back to Kazdel.”

“We are not without resources; that mobile city will come with our army.”

Chapter 525 Nasti: Hahaha, a surprise is here!

Shelag, Tukarim, the venue for the World Summit.

Standing before this building, Ernst was filled with mixed emotions.

What did the World Summit mean for Scherrag? Ernst had pondered this countless times.

On a grander scale, it symbolizes Sherag finding his place on Terra, it is the embodiment of the collapse of Victoria's hegemony and the birth of a new order after the War of the Four Emperors, it is the beginning of everything, the start of a new era.

On a smaller scale, it is Ernst's life's work, a shared aspiration of countless people who supported Ernst, helped Ernst, and awaited Ernst. Its establishment, the convening of its first, and countless other, meetings all mean that Ernst can say to himself more than a year ago: "Your efforts have not been in vain."

There's also Mayor Hermann of Siesta, and King Ivangelista XI of Lateran—each struggling in the power struggles of great nations, forced to choose between the pain of being caught up in it and the wisdom of self-preservation, for their shared aspirations for a nation and an independent city-state.

But after much deliberation, Ernst concluded that only one word was most suitable for it.

"future."

"I can already see the future in my eyes."

As Ernst gazed at the building, his eyes flickered, seemingly reflecting the seven colors of the sky.

Beside him, Kal'tsit pursed her lips, reached out, and gently patted Ernst's shoulder.

She praised him from the bottom of her heart:

“That’s remarkable, Mr. Ernst.”

"I have roamed this land for far longer than you can imagine. I have seen countless kings, generals, actors, and outstanding figures. The officials in your government, their ancestors, such as Luca Sargus, the first Red Dragon King with the name 'Greed,' the Pegasus whose blood shimmers with golden light, and the beasts flying in the sky, I have chatted and laughed with them."

Seemingly lost in memories, Kal'tsit's expression softened, but then, remembering what she was about to say, her expression turned slightly strange.

"However, no matter which of them gave me the emotion called 'surprise,' it was not as overwhelming and bewildering as I have felt in the past year since I met you."

"In every aspect."

Ernst listened intently. Even he felt a surge of emotion when Kelsey mentioned those legendary figures.

A love of antiquity is an inherent trait in every Chinese person, and this is not something to be ashamed of. Our long history and culture allow us to proudly find traces of our ancestors in any period and corner of human civilization. It is precisely because of this that we have a more tangible connection to the heroes and great figures of the past.

What became of Luga Sargus and Haranduhan? They supposedly made peace and marched towards the Burning Winds, but what was the outcome? Did they win? Why haven't they returned yet? Did they fail? Why is the Burning Winds, another forbidden area of ​​Terra and on par with the Infi Icefield, considered harmless by Kal'tsit?

Ernst tried to visualize the grand scenes in his mind, but this brief immersion did not last long before it was interrupted by Kal'tsit's comment, "The waters of Shelag are too deep; he is drowning and at a loss."

Ernst couldn't help but burst out laughing.

He nodded to Kal'tsit with a mixture of admiration and gratitude.

Regardless, Kelsey's help during his entrepreneurial journey was undeniably substantial. Ernst, though puzzled as to why she, who had roamed the earth for millennia, had fallen to the point of near bankruptcy a year prior, still expressed his gratitude.

Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure.

However, on the other hand, his usual behavior was somewhat disrespectful to the elderly. He did not treat Kal'tsit as an old person, and Kal'tsit never considered herself an old person either.

Although she has been having strokes and fainting frequently lately.

Time is not forgiving!

"Prime Minister Ernst, are you satisfied with the project?"

Nast walked over from the construction site not far away, wearing a red hard hat, and greeted Ernst.

"If you're not satisfied, you can still make changes now."

The international summit is still at least a month away, which is Ernst's conservative estimate of when the situation in Lentinium will become clearer. If the situation remains unclear after a month... wouldn't that mean the situation has reached a stalemate?

This is not necessarily a bad outcome.

The convening of the international summit may offer a glimmer of hope for easing the current stalemate.

Of course, Ernst personally did not want things to come to that. He hoped that the initial proposal adopted at the World Summit would not have any contradictory relationship with the problems they would face at that time.

On one hand, they're pushing forward a national policy to help the Sarkaz establish a nation, and on the other hand, they're issuing resolutions targeting dangerous groups within the Lontinim Sarkaz. This scenario is rather abstract.

Reality is not a tightrope walk. If such a contradictory situation arises and is not handled properly, the first proposal of the World Summit could be stuck for a year.

This is detrimental to establishing the prestige of the World Summit.

Of course, these were political issues that Ernst had to consider. Nastya inquired about the construction of this "Summit of Nations" site.

Three arms clasped together, with olive branches on either side—this was the logo Ernst designed for the Summit of Nations. Three is a commonly used figurative number to represent the nations and independent city-states of Terra, representing legitimate political power. The three arms clasped together signify that Terra will stand united, while the olive branches are a classic symbol of peace, universally accepted across Terra. This differed somewhat from the Summit of Nations logo conceived by Ivangelista XI, but after Ernst's explanation, he ultimately agreed to Ernst's design.

The site of the World Summit was also built to this standard.

The three office buildings form a triangle, enclosing a small garden at the center, which features a sculptural fountain. The buildings are surrounded by a green belt of trees and shrubs, resembling olive branches, enclosing the venue for the World Summit.

Ernst naturally had no objections to the design. He thought Nastya's idea was brilliant, especially the sculptural fountain in the central plaza of the three buildings.

The sculptural fountain, conceptually inspired by the musket of Lateran, one of the initiators of the World Summit, depicts a twisted and knotted front of a musket, from which water sprays out, forming a fountain. This symbolizes abandoning violence, turning swords into plowshares, peaceful exchange, and mutual benefit.

In Ernst's eyes, this was somewhat of a tribute to the UN's sculpture with knotted gun barrels, and not particularly original. But the point is, this sculptural fountain wasn't Ernst's proposal, but rather the ingenious idea of ​​Nasti, the engineer and designer!

Putting aside the fact that this idea is somewhat similar to that famous building from his previous life, the fact that Nasti came up with this design is enough to surprise Ernst.

She is a Sarkaz! Although she is not a particularly disliked banshee among the Sarkaz, setting aside prejudices against Sarkaz and Sarkaz, understanding Sarkaz culture, and combining it with one's own ideas to create such a special and symbolic sculpture is enough to be awe-inspiring and moving.

Ernst never hesitated to praise such friends:

“A wonderful design, Miss Nastya. You have proven to the world that there is no difference between the Sarkaz and the Victorians and Letanians. We are all races with a capacity for beauty and aesthetics, and we all have the right to live equally on this land.”

“You might think I’m exaggerating, but perhaps hundreds of years from now, when people come to Kjerag and see this statue, they will say exactly the same things you are hearing from me today. And that will come from history books.”